Tyre and car testing centre to take shape
THE THAILAND Industrial Standards Institute is going ahead with the establishment of a national tyre and automobile testing centre that will promote automobiles and tyres as "product champions" in the Kingdom and top products in Asean.
Hatai Uthai, secretary-general at TISI, said that the move also aimed to reduce testing costs and build up Thailand's automobile industry competitive with no constraints for exports.
Thailand tops Asean for automobile production, and is fifth in Asia and ninth in the world.
Cabinet approved the construction of the centre last Tuesday.
The project budget is Bt4.536 billion with a five-year construction period scheduled to start this year. The centre will be located on 1,200 rai (192 hectares) in Chachoengsao.
Thailand tops tyre exports in Asean in terms of value, is fourth in Asia and seventh in the world. Tyres are considered a product champion.
Hatai said the centre would help reduce operators’ testing costs, lessen the dependence on exports of processed rubber and increase local rubber growers’ price stability.
Rubber sourced locally is expected to increase from 530,000 tonnes per year, or 12 per cent of the total, to one million tonnes per year, or 25 per cent of the total, when the centre opens.
Small- and medium-sized enterprises will see a reduction in costs and the freeing up of time as they will not have to send products for testing overseas. Overseas testing costs about Bt120 million per year in total.
Hatai said TISI was also accelerating other measures including the planned amendment of the Industrial Product Standards Act, B.E. 2511.
After a restructuring, in the first eight months of the fiscal year ending May 2015 TISI issued 4,238 licenses, up 5.42 per cent year-on-year.
The top-three sectors for licences were lighting products, steel and electronic appliances.
